Bramham: Furlong goes on offensive over abuse allegations

Facing an investigation into claims of physical and sexual abuse, shaken local hero says he intends to sue newspaper for defamation

Former 2010 Winter Olympics CEO John Furlong, right, who is executive chair of the Vancouver Whitecaps, and lawyer Marvin Storrow address abuse claims made against Furlong.

Photograph by: Jason Payne
, PNG

Pale with an angry red flush on the side of his forehead, John Furlong faced a wall of cameras and rows of journalists.

As head of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, the executive chair of the Vancouver Whitecaps, the head of Canada’s Own the Podium program for elite athletes, Furlong had walked into hundreds of press conferences before — many of them many times larger than the one hastily called on Thursday. But he’d never looked so uncomfortable — not even after Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died on the opening day of the 2010 Games.

In a quiet, steady voice, Furlong read from a prepared statement.

“I have been accused of physical abuse and apparently within the last hour, sexual abuse. I want you to know I categorically deny absolutely any wrongdoing and I believe that the RCMP in looking into this matter will discredit the complaint entirely because it just did not happen.”

Furlong said he first became aware of the accusations before the Olympics when, he alleged, “I was advised that for a payment it could be made to go away. And as such, I reported this to the police.”

Both Furlong and his lawyer, Marvin Storrow, indicated in their prepared statements that not only is there an ongoing RCMP investigation, but Furlong intends to sue both reporter Laura Robinson and the Georgia Straight for defamation.

For many Canadians, Furlong — as much as the athletes — was the face, if not the heart, of the Vancouver Games. In his Irish-tinged speech, he frequently talked about immigrating to Canada and being challenged to make the country a better place. His story was a Canadian bookend to America’s Horatio Alger myth, that if someone works hard, they can achieve wealth, status and honour.

On Thursday, Furlong didn’t look a broken man, but clearly a shaken one.

It’s impossible not to feel some empathy. Few of us have escaped being accused of something — either rightly or wrongly — without feeling that empty, pit-of-the-stomach horror that accompanies the ohmygodohmygodohmygod what now?

Indeed. What now?

We’ve seen this before, where terrible things are said about powerful men. Rarely, in recent memory, has it happened so close to home to a local hero.

No one can take away what John Furlong did to make the Olympics so successful. That record is clear.

But as both he and his lawyer noted, the process now needs to play out.

The RCMP will continue its investigation. Furlong’s accusers, who reportedly have sworn affidavits detailing the abuse, need to be listened to, their statements and memories given fair and due consideration. Our justice system depends on everyone being given equal access and equal respect regardless of their position.

It’s also easy to forget that just as it is a gut-wrenching thing to be accused, making accusations against someone as powerful, respected and mythologized as Furlong takes its own kind of sick-making courage.

Of course, there will be those who will question why it has taken so long for them to step forward. It’s a question almost invariably asked when there are allegations of abuse.

As all that goes along, Furlong forcefully stated that he will file a civil defamation suit. Even threatening such a thing adds a chill to the reporting.

Then, after a suit is filed, it is impossible to report on the allegations without being subject to a similar action. And if it ever gets to court, a publication ban could effectively keep the public out.

It will take weeks, months, maybe even years to eke out the truth. For both the accused and the accusers, it will seem interminable.

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